


Flicker

by neilmackays



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Best Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 01:00:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12876810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neilmackays/pseuds/neilmackays
Summary: Y/N is roped into fighting monsters - again. Steve is there - again. She didn't sign up for any of this.Then I think of the startAnd it echoes a sparkI remember the magic electricityThen I look to my heartThere’s a light in the darkStill a flicker of hope that you once gave to me





	1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

She hadn’t expected any of this.

When she’d shown up to babysit Dustin that night, she’d expected the usual - or as usual as things could be with Will missing. They might watch a movie, eat some snacks. Play some video games. Mike and Lucas might come over. 

Well, true to prediction, Mike and Lucas had come over. This time, however, they had Mrs. Byers in tow. Within seconds, Y/N had been swept off her feet and taken in Joyce’s car to the high school, where she was told about the existence of another world and met a girl who could communicate with it - by lying in a pool of water.

It was all a bit overwhelming. 

She’d thought them all nuts until she saw what the girl could do. 

Then, suddenly, she’d been tasked with driving back to the Byers’ house to find Jonathan and tell him that his brother was still alive. When she’d arrived, she’d found not just Jonathan, but Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve Harrington, all collapsed on the couch, stunned. The trio explained how they had killed the demogorgon, and Y/N could do nothing but join them on the couch, staring at the spot where the monster had disappeared into flames. 

She remembered the whole thing like a dream. 

She’d never been friends with Nancy - though she had nothing against the girl - and she’d just become friends with the quiet Jonathan through the Photo Arts Club. Steve, on the other hand, was a whole other story. 

Y/N and Steve had been friends for years. Because their last names were so close in the alphabet, they were always paired up in class; they’d sat next to each other every year until grade 7. For years, they’d walked to school together, meeting at the corner of Pine and Main. 

Then high school began, and Steve had completely left her behind. 

She stopped meeting him on the corner, stopped sitting with him in class. There was nothing but glances in the hallway - and even those were rare. 

To see him sitting there in the Byers’ house, stunned and covered in blood, was quite a shock, to say the least. 

*****

Months later, and Hawkins had grown silent again. Y/N was still having a hard time wrapping her head around what had happened, but Will Byers was home, and safe, and the monster was dead. The world was seemingly right again. 

Y/N had settled back into her usual routine; sleep, eat, school. Yet despite the return to what was supposed to be normal, there were some small, unexpected changes.

For one, despite the fact that babysitting Dustin was normal on the surface, she was always on edge; on top of that, Joyce had asked for her help making sure Will was okay at school, which made her even more stressed and worried. And by now, she was actually friends with Nancy. Strangest of all, however, was that after 2 years, Steve Harrington was talking to her again. 

The interactions weren’t much, and they weren’t frequent, but they were there. Small talk in the hallway at school, smiles in passing. She wasn’t sure how to feel - it was strange, and she hated the underlying tension, but she had decided to let it be. No matter how badly she wanted to tell him how much he’d hurt her. 

And so, life in the small town continued on for Y/N as best as it could – until the unthinkable happened.

_Again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks! My first Steve fic. Please check me out on tumblr @airforcecollins and reblog the fic on there - there's a lot of people on tumblr who aren't on AO3 and I'd love for them to see


	2. Chapter One

Nancy had missed school again, and Y/N was starting to get worried. She'd gotten the biology handouts to give to her friend when she saw her, but it was going on day two and there was still no sign of the brunette. 

To ease her mind, after school, Y/N decided she'd pop by the Wheelers' to check on Nancy. As she approached the house, she found it eerily silent, and she couldn't shake the bad feeling that surrounded her as she walked up the steps. After knocking multiple times and receiving no answer, she was in the middle of putting the notes in the mailbox when a voice from behind scared her out of her wits.

"Hey, Y/N!"

She turned abruptly to find Dustin walking towards her and the house. She clutched her chest with one hand, trying to slow her heartrate from the scare, and sent the boy a half-hearted wave with the other.

"Hey, Dustin."

The curly-haired boy glanced behind her at the silent house. "Is Mike home?"

She shook her head. "I don't think anyone is home."

"Huh. Weird."

She watched with curiosity as Dustin's face scrunched up in confusion, followed by irritation, before he hastily pulled out his walkie-talkie.

"Seriously, guys," he spoke frustratedly into the device. "This is a code red. Where the _hell_ are you?"

She raised her eyebrows at his language, and was about to scold him when a familiar red car pulled up in front of the driveway. She swallowed hard, bracing herself like she always found herself doing when he was around. Dustin, never fazed, slid his walkie-talkie easily back into his pocket and headed towards the car, where Steve had stepped out and was seemingly talking to a bouquet of flowers.

"Steve," Dustin called out to the older boy as he walked down the path. Steve snapped out of his trance, finally acknowledging that there were other people present. “Are those,” he gestured to the roses, “for Mr. or Mrs. Wheeler?”

Steve raised his eyebrows at the boy, then looked back down at the roses. “No…?”

“Good.” Dustin reached out and snatched the flowers from Steve’s hand.

“Hey! What the hell? Hey!” Steve glanced over at Y/N, his arms in the air in protest, and she could do nothing but shrug in return. She was just as confused as him.

“Nancy isn’t home,” Dustin informed as he walked towards the car.

“Where is she?” Steve continued to glance between Y/N and Dustin.

“She hasn’t been in class for a couple of days,” Y/N interjected, her eyes on Steve as she spoke. “You mean you don’t know where she is either?”

Steve looked at the ground, shuffling his feet in what Y/N knew from memory was a nervous tic of his. His free hand lifted to tuck his hair behind his ear as he answered.

“No. We had a bit of an… an argument.”

Y/N felt her heartstrings pull at the look on his face, and was about to ask if he was okay when Dustin spoke up impatiently.

“Doesn’t matter,” the curly-haired boy said abruptly, walking hastily towards Steve’s parked car. “We have bigger problems than your love life.” He paused, turning back to Steve. “Do you still have that bat?”

“Bat? What bat?”

“The one with the nails.”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised, not believing what she was hearing. Was he talking about the same bat that Steve had used to kill the Demogorgon the year before? Why on earth would Dustin need that?

“Why?” Steve asked, voicing Y/N's exact thoughts.

“I’ll explain on the way.”

" _Now?_ " Steve said incredulously.

"Now!" Dustin exclaimed, pulling open the door to the backseat and prompting the two bewildered teens to slide into the front.

While she buckled her seatbelt, she glanced over to the driver’s seat as Steve slid in. He caught her eye as he settled into the seat and put the key in the ignition, and she quickly looked away. She stared out the window and tried to focus her attention on whatever the hell was happening with Dustin.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Steve asked, glancing in his rearview mirror.

“Just go to my house,” Dustin instructed.

Y/N and Steve both glanced back at the boy in surprise. “Your house?” she repeated, and Dustin rolled his eyes.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it? Let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know how you're feeling about this! You can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins!


	3. Chapter Two

“Wait a sec. _How_ big is this thing?”

Steve was watching Dustin in the rear view mirror as he drove, waiting for a response from the boy. Y/N turned in her seat to face Dustin, and he sighed, having already gone over this with the older teens.

“First he was like that–“ Dustin held out his hands to indicate the size of the creature, “and now he’s like this.” He moved his hands further apart. 

Y/N’s eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as she turned back to face forward, and her mind was trying to comprehend what Dustin was saying. Steve glanced at her, his eyebrows raised, and she could see the disbelief in his eyes. 

“I swear to God, man,” Steve said to the younger boy, “it’s just some little lizard, okay?”

Y/N bit her lip. She desperately wanted to believe it _was_ just a lizard that Dustin had found in the garbage, but she had a sick feeling in her gut. No lizard grew that fast in a matter of days. 

“It’s not a lizard!” Dustin said adamantly.

“How do you know?” Steve asked. 

“How do I know if it’s not a lizard?” Dustin repeated.

“Yeah! How do you know if it’s not just a lizard?”

“Because his face opened up and he ate my cat.”

At that, Y/N turned abruptly in her seat. “You let it _eat Mews_?” she nearly screeched.

Dustin rolled his eyes as she stared at him. “It was an accident, Y/N. I know it sucks, but I don’t think that’s our biggest concern right now, do you?”

The boy’s snarky attitude was ignored as she turned back around once more in complete disbelief, leaning her head back against the headrest. She saw Steve glance at her again, but she didn’t have the heart to meet his eyes.

They finally pulled into the driveway at Steve’s house, where she stayed in her seat as the two boys opened the trunk of Steve’s dad’s car. She watched as Steve turned around, bat in hand, and her brain instantly flew back to the year before. She closed her eyes, trying to take a deep breath. There was no way this was happening again, right?  
   
It was silent between the three of them as they continued on to the Henderson house. Night had fallen, and Y/N stared into the fog as they drove through town. When they reached Dustin’s house, they headed straight for the backyard, where they cautiously approached the storm cellar.

Y/N stood with her arms crossed as they stared at the red doors, sealed shut with a padded lock. Steve turned to Dustin, eyebrows raised.

“I don’t hear shit.”

“He’s in there,” Dustin promised.

Steve rolled his eyes, but slowly approached the doors, before hitting the bat against the metal. There was a resounding clank, but nothing else. Steve paused, before hitting it again and receiving the same result. Steve turned to Dustin again, and lifted the flashlight in his direction.

“All right, listen kid, I swear if this is some sort of Halloween prank, you’re dead.”

“It’s not. Its not a prank!” Dustin’s hand lifted to block the light from his eyes. “Get it out of my face.”

Steve stared at him for a moment, before turning back to Y/N, who simply shrugged. Steve let out a sigh before holding his hand out to Dustin.

“You got a key for this thing?”

After unlocking the doors and cautiously pulling them open, the three of them peered down into the darkness.  
   
“He must be further down there,” Dustin said. “I’ll stay up here in case he tries to escape.”

Ever since the events of the year before, Y/N had thought that Dustin and his friends were maybe the bravest kids she’d ever met. As she looked at him now, trying to play nonchalant, she could see the discomfort behind his eyes. She felt a tug on her heart, and she wished beyond anything in that moment that she could give him a hug so that he knew he didn’t always have to be brave. He was just a kid, for crying out loud.

“Y/N?” She turned to Steve, who was looking at her now. “Are you coming?” 

She turned back to look into the black abyss, and felt a shudder run through her at the thought of what could be down there. But she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and turned back to the two boys. 

“Yeah. I’m coming.”

Steve nodded, before bracing himself to take the first step. She followed behind him, her heartbeat in her ears. It was eerily silent as they descended, and she couldn’t see anything. There was no movement other than her and Steve, and she sighed in relief when he pulled the cord to turn the light on. 

They both glanced around, Steve with his bat still up. She caught sight of something on the floor in front of them, and she nudged him. 

“Steve. Look.”

His eyes followed her pointing finger to where there lay slimy, discarded skin, like that of a snake who had shed. She grimaced as Steve picked it up with the end of his bat.

“What is that?” 

“I have no idea,” he murmured, before his eyes lifted again and widened. She followed his gaze to where there stood a gaping hole in the wall.  
   
“Steve?”

Y/N jumped at the distant sound of Dustin’s voice. She turned to Steve, and their eyes met with similar looks of bewilderment and disbelief. He took a step back towards the entrance to the cellar, and shone his flashlight up at the younger boy.

“Get down here,” Steve called up. 

As Dustin descended the stairs, Y/N glanced into the hole. It was as if the creature had burrowed a tunnel through the ground. She couldn’t see the end of it.

“Oh shit.” She turned to find Dustin staring at the shed layer of skin on Steve’s bat. He turned to where Y/N stood by the wall, and his eyes widened even further. “Oh, shit!” 

“Dustin,” she said lowly, trying to contain her fear. “What _is_ this thing?”

He ignored her as he approached the tunnel slowly, shaking his head. 

“No way… No way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we’ll get to the good stuff soon, I promise! ;) Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts! 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins :)


	4. Chapter Three

As the trio walked down the seemingly never-ending railroad tracks, Y/N wondered just what exactly it was they planned to accomplish. They were throwing pieces of meat around to attract the creature Dustin had unleashed, she knew - but what happened if it found them first?

She was deep in thought, trying to remember the few karate classes she’d taken as a kid, silent as they walked along. The two boys were in their own little conversation. After a while, though, Steve’s sassy tone caught her attention, snapping her out of her dark reverie. 

“All right, so let me get this straight,” Steve was saying slowly. “You kept something you knew was probably dangerous... to impress a girl… who you just met?”

“All right, that’s _grossly_ oversimplifying things.”

Y/N stifled a smile at the younger boy’s response, and Dustin noticed, shooting her a glare.

“Why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?” Steve continued as they walked along at a steady pace.

“An interdimensional slug? Because it’s awesome.”

“Well, even if she thought it was cool – which she didn’t – I just.. I don’t know, I just feel like you’re trying way too hard, you know?”

“Yeah, well not everyone can have your perfect hair, alright?”

Y/N picked up her pace, not wanting to get involved in the tense moment between the two. She moved so she was a few steps ahead of them, but could still hear glimpses of the conversation.

“It’s not about the hair, man,” Steve informed the younger boy. “The key with girls is just… acting like you don’t care.” 

Y/N nearly rolled her eyes at that, but didn’t comment. 

“Even if you do?” Dustin asked, confused.

“Yeah, exactly. It drives them nuts.”

“And then what?”

“You just wait until, uh… Until you feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“It’s like before it’s gonna storm, you know? You can’t see it but you can feel it. Like this uh, electricity, you know?”

“Oh, like in the electromagnetic field, when the clouds in the atmosphere…”

“No, no, no, no, no. Like a sexual electricity.”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised at that, and she shot a look back to the boys behind her. Dustin was looking at his feet, his brows furrowed as he took in Steve’s words.

“Oh.”

“You feel that,” Steve continued, “and then you make your move.”

“So that’s when you kiss her?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Romeo.” Steve paused. “Sure, okay, some girls, yeah, they want you to be aggressive, you know, strong, hot and heavy, like a… like a lion. But others, you gotta be slow, you gotta be stealthy… like a… like a ninja.”

“What type is Nancy?”

Y/N felt her heart stutter at the mention of her friend.

 _Steve’s girlfriend_. 

She wasn’t sure why, but hearing Steve talk about the pretty brunette suddenly had her stomach falling all the way into her boots.

“Nancy’s different. She’s different than the other girls.”

Dustin seemed to contemplate before replying. “Yeah, she seems pretty special, I guess.”

“Yeah. Yeah she is.”

Y/N couldn’t help but feel her heart sink even further. She tried again to tune out the boys’ conversation completely as she continued to throw meat onto the tracks, only zoning back in when she heard something else that made her ears perk up.

“You’re not falling in love with this girl, are you?” Steve was asking.

“What? No! _No_.”

“Okay, good. Don’t.”

“I won’t,” Dustin promised.

“She’s only gonna break your heart, and you’re way too young for that shit.”

She couldn’t help but glance back again at the tone of Steve’s voice as he said those words. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she found his dark brown gaze already on her. She looked away as soon as their eyes met, slowing down to fall back in line with them. 

“How much further are we going?” 

“Until we get to the junk yard,” Dustin answered her. He seemed a bit preoccupied in his thoughts as he continued to toss the meat onto the ground, distancing himself a bit from Steve and Y/N.

“I think the kid’s got it bad for this girl,” Steve said quietly from beside her. She was surprised at his attempt at small talk.

“Young love is the worst,” she finally returned, and it grew silent between them before Steve spoke again. 

“Yeah.”

She felt his eyes on her, and when she met his gaze, there was something soft in it that she couldn’t quite place. The intensity of it unnerved her, and she looked away. She hated the way that, after all these years of not speaking, he was able to unnerve her in seconds.

She could tell Steve knew the conversation was over as the silence grew, and he called out to the boy in front of them. 

“Fabergé,” he said, prompting Dustin to turn around.

“What?”

Steve pointed to his hair. “It’s Fabergé Organics. Use the shampoo and the conditioner and when your hair’s damp, it’s not wet, okay, when it’s _damp_ -“

“Damp,” Dustin reiterated. 

“-you do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.”

Y/N couldn’t help but smile at that. So _that_ was his secret.

“Farrah Fawcett spray?” Dustin repeated incredulously. 

“Yeah. Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone I just told you that, and your ass is grass. You’re dead, Henderson, you understand?”

“Yep.”

“And that goes for you too, Y/N,” Steve called back to her. She held up her hands in surrender, earning her a small smile from the boy.

“Okay,” he confirmed, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice as he shook his head and continued to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some comments would mean the world :) 
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins!


	5. Chapter Four

They finally reached the junkyard after what felt like days – the place where they hoped to lure the demogorgon. It was actually Steve who had come up with the plan, but it was Dustin who had mentioned a place that was “perfect for catching sons of bitches” - and now here they were.

“Oh, yeah,” Steve nodded as they reached the top of the hill and surveyed the yard before them. “This’ll do. This’ll do just fine. Good call, dude,” he said to Dustin. Y/N watched his back for a moment as he headed towards the yellow school bus, then she turned back to Dustin who was beaming proudly at the older boy’s words. She couldn’t help but smile at the obvious fondness.

“Come on, let’s do this,” she said to the boy, who nodded firmly before following her across the grass.

A few minutes into throwing piles of meat into the grass that lay in the middle of the scrap cars, Y/N jumped when she heard a voice calling from across the field.

“I said medium-well!”

She looked up to see Lucas and a redheaded girl entering the yard, and her brow furrowed in confusion. As the other kids approached, Dustin didn’t seem surprised – just pissed. As soon as the newcomers reached the trio, Dustin pulled Lucas away behind a car, and the girl made her way to the bus with determination. It appeared that everyone already knew the plan.

“Steve,” she hissed, yanking on his sleeve as he turned to get back to work. “Did you know they were coming?”

Steve shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows at her. “Yeah...?”

“They’re _kids_ , Steve!”

“Have you ever tried convincing Dustin not to do something? Doesn’t work.” Steve was raising his eyebrows at her now, challenging her to disagree with him, and she let out an irritated huff before turning back to her bucket of bait.

“Hey! Dickheads!”

She rolled her eyes as Steve called out behind her, hauling her near-empty bucket as she headed over to join the redhead by the bus.

“How come the only one helping us out is this random girl? We lose light in 40 minutes, let’s go!” He clapped his hands, and she heard Dustin groan. “Let’s go, I said!”

“Alright, asshole!”

*****

As night began to fall, they all gathered inside the bus. Lucas grabbed his binoculars and headed up to the roof to be on the lookout, while Dustin and the redhead, Max, stayed down with the older teens. Max was sitting on a seat while Dustin paced, and Y/N and Steve sat across from each other, on the floor. Y/N couldn’t hide her smile as she watched Max watch Dustin, obviously irritated with the boy’s pacing. The girl’s eyes then moved to Steve, who was flicking the lighter on and off.

“So you really fought one of these things before?” The question was directed at Steve, and he raised his eyebrows before nodding. “And you’re, like, totally 100% sure it wasn’t a bear?”

“Shit.” Dustin interrupted the two before Steve could answer, rolling his eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. Okay? It wasn’t a bear.” He glared at the girl. “Why are you even here if you don’t believe us? Just go home.”

Max stared at Dustin for a minute in disbelief before she stood up, eyebrows raised, and began to climb the ladder. “Geez, someone’s cranky. Past your bedtime?”

Dustin made a face at her retreating form, before continuing to pace back and forth beside the ladder, deep in irritated thought. Both Y/N and the boy were startled as Steve spoke, interrupting the tense silence that had fallen over them.

“That’s good,” he said to Dustin. “Just show her you don’t care.”

“I don’t,” Dustin shot back. Steve winked, and Dustin grimaced. “Why are you winking, Steve? Stop.”

Steve shrugged, still flicking the lighter in his hands as Dustin walked to the other side of the bus, leaving the two of them alone. She watched as almost instantly, as soon as the boy was gone, Steve’s entire being deflated. His hands fell to rest on his lap, effectively ending the clicking of the lighter, and his shoulders sagged against the wall. As she watched him stare up at the ceiling, it dawned on her just how much of a front he was putting on for these kids. She knew he was probably just as scared as they all were - at least the Steve that she knew before would have been.

It was eerily quiet, but she didn’t have the heart to speak. She leaned her head against the wall behind her, closing her eyes for a minute to breathe.

"How crazy is this shit?"

She was startled by Steve’s quiet voice, and she opened her eyes to meet his gaze across the aisle. He murmured an apology for scaring her, and she took in a deep breath before she nodded. Her mind was still reeling from the events of the day - she couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She couldn’t believe it was happening again. She looked down at her feet, and a few more moments passed in silence before Steve spoke again.

"Are you alright?"

She lifted her head to look up at him, surprised by his question. His eyes met hers in the fading light, searching, and she shrugged. "As alright as any of us." Steve nodded in understanding, and she looked back down at her hands. “I thought it was over,” she finally added, her voice small in the vastness of the dark bus.

“Yeah,” he replied, running his fingers through his hair before resting his arms on his knees. “Yeah. Me too.”

“It must be even harder for you,” she said softly, and he glanced at her. “I mean, you, Nance and Jonathan fought the thing once already.”

Steve sighed. “Yeah. I definitely thought it was over.” He stared at his hands, silent for a moment, and he seemed to be debating something before he spoke again, abruptly. “Nancy and I...” He paused, scratching his jaw. “She wanted to talk about it. About all of it,” he added, his eyes on the floor. She was surprised by the sudden conversation change, her eyes not able to leave his face as he spoke. It was quiet again before he added softly, “She wanted to talk about Barb.”

She held her breath, waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, she prompted gently, “And you didn’t want to talk about it? Talking about it is usually helpf-“

“Yeah, I know,” he said harshly, cutting her off mid-sentence. His shoulders lifted and he squared them, and she could see his defences piling back up. “I _know_ that talking about it helps, or _whatever_.”

She was taken aback, immediately shrinking back into herself. “I was just trying to help.”

“I know.” He let out a deep sigh, and his shoulders relaxed a little. “I’m sorry.”

It was silent between them, and she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t really have the heart to say anything now anyway, even after his apology for snapping at her.

“I don’t feel guilty about her dying, Y/N.” He startled her by speaking again. She looked at him in surprise at the words, but he was staring at his hands. “That’s not something that Nancy or I can take responsibility for. I feel guilty,” he paused, pulling out the lighter, “because I treated her like shit. I only agreed to let her come to the party so that Nancy would come, too.” He began to flick the lighter on and off like he had earlier, his eyes on the flame. “And then she died before I could change my shitty attitude.”

“Steve...”

“Nancy wanted to talk about it, and I wouldn’t let her. I’m such an asshole.”

“Is that what the flowers were for?”

Steve nodded. “Not that they’d do much good.”

“Why not?”

“She told me she didn’t love me.”

His words surprised her, yet again. They were delivered so bluntly and coolly that anyone who didn’t know the boy would think he wasn’t affected. Y/N felt her heart break a little. She hadn’t expected that, and it took her a moment to bring up the right words in response. “I’m sorry, Steve.”

He shook his head, sending her a sad, close-mouthed smile. “I think I always knew it would be Jonathan,” he admitted. “Guess that’s why I hated him so much.”

She nodded, not sure what else to say. The silence was deafening, and she was almost nervous when she finally spoke again.

“I think this is the most we’ve talked in years,” she said quietly.

Steve was silent, scratching at his jaw before returning a soft, “Yeah.”

He looked like he was about to say something else, but the sound of snarling had them both shooting upright and running to the window. Dustin joined them, and they searched the yard frantically, trying to see through the fog and darkness. 

“Do you see him?”

Steve shook his head. “No.”

“Lucas!” Dustin called up, making Y/N jump. “What’s going on?”

“Hold on!” Came the response from the roof. “I’ve got eyes! Ten O’Clock!”

“There.” Steve pointed, and Y/N’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the creature slinking through the yard. Her heart leapt into her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you're enjoying! This was one of my favourite chapters to write. Also, you can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins!


	6. Chapter Five

The demogorgon slunk around slowly, sniffing at the raw meat.

“What’s he doing?” Dustin asked in confusion.

“I don’t know,” came Steve’s response, and Y/N took a step back from the window. It was too much to process.

“He’s not taking the bait,” Steve murmured, his eyebrows furrowed. “Why’s he not taking the bait?”

“Maybe he’s not hungry,” Dustin suggested.

There was a pause, before Steve spoke again. “Maybe he’s sick of cow.”

Steve turned around abruptly, surprising the two, and crossed the room in two swift steps to grab his nail-ridden bat from the wall beside Y/N.

“Steve?” Dustin said incredulously, and Y/N‘s hand found Steve’s arm in a panic.

“Steve, what are you doing?”

Steve pulled the lighter out from his pocket, holding it up. His eyes moved from Dustin to Y/N, his gaze resting on hers for a beat longer. She swallowed hard, shaking her head gently in an effort to get him not to do what she knew he was about to do. He broke her gaze, turning back to Dustin.

“Just get ready,” he said, as he threw the lighter to Dustin, before turning and descending the stairs before anyone could stop him. 

Y/N felt her stomach sink as she realized what he was doing. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend none of this was real. Instead, she joined Dustin at the window, unable to look away as Steve approached the snarling creature. He gripped the bat with both hands, swinging it a couple of times as he crept forward.

“Come on, buddy,” Steve called out into the fog, followed by a whistle.

“What’s he doing?” Max had flown down the ladder to join Y/N and Dustin, and her voice held a note of panic. Y/N was unable to respond as the girl joined them at the window, her eyes anxiously flicking back and forth between Steve and the demogorgon.

“Dinner time,” Steve called out again, taunting. “Human tastes better than cat, I promise!”

“He’s insane!” Max cried, and Y/N was inclined to agree.

“He’s awesome,” came Dustin’s joyous reply. Y/N glanced at him in surprise, only to find him grinning. She shook her head, turning back to the terrifying scene before them. A gasp escaped her throat as she caught sight of more movement to the right behind Steve.

“Steve, watch out!” Lucas’ strangled cry rang out from above them, but Steve didn’t flinch.

“I’m a little busy here!”

Lucas persisted. “Three o’clock, three o’clock!”

Steve turned to glance behind him, and everything began to happen at once.

Dustin bolted for the bus door, pulling it open as fast as he could. The girls joined him, screaming for Steve to turn back around.

“Steve!” Dustin cried out. “Steve! Abort! Abort!”

The creature behind Steve snarled, and the boy turned back. Y/N could see the panic on his face, and she let out a scream as the first demogorgon leapt into the air. She watched in horror as Steve dodged the creature, sliding across the hood of a rusty car.

Suddenly, there were dozens of them.

Steve’s bat hit the first one with an awful noise. He turned to head back for the bus, dodging the creatures as they lunged for him.

“Steve! Steve! Come on! Run!”

They were all screaming as Steve slid into the bus. The door shut with a slam, and the screaming continued as the creatures began to bang against the door. It was an awful sound mixed with screeching and snarling, and it was so loud that Y/N almost didn’t hear Steve yelling.

“Y/N!”

She met his frantic gaze, and he gestured wildly for the piece of scrap metal by her foot. She grabbed it, and once he had it in his hands he slid it up against the door as reinforcement, holding it in place with his feet. His body jolted with every violent bang, and they all watched in horror.

“Are they rabid or something?” Max yelled.

“They can’t get in,” Lucas cried, almost as if trying to convince himself. “They can’t!”

They all screamed again as a hole was ripped through the door, a slimy arm reaching in and just barely missing Steve. The kids all scrambled to the other side of the bus as Steve whacked the creature with his bat. It let out a deafening screech, and Y/N held out her hand, urging Steve to follow. He grabbed her without hesitation, and she pulled them to the back of the bus.

“Is anyone there?” Dustin was screaming into his walkie talkie. “Mike? Will? God? Anyone? We’re at the old junkyard, and we are going to die!”

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. Suddenly, Max let out a bloodcurdling scream, and Y/N’s eyes followed the girl’s terrified look to where one of the creatures stood in the open emergency exit above them.

She felt her heart stop as she came face to face with the monster for the first time.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!”

Steve stepped in front and pushed the girls back, holding his bat up in defence. “You want some? Come get this!”

The creature screeched, its face opening to reveal rows of teeth. Y/N gripped the back of Steve’s jacket, preparing for the worst, when the screeching suddenly stopped. They watched in confusion as the creature backed off, turning and leaping off the bus. The rest of the beasts followed, and the awful noise slowly began to recede as they got further and further away.

It was eerily silent in the bus now, and Y/N could hear her heartbeat in her ears. The kids started whispering loudly behind them, but she couldn’t move. She was still gripping onto the back of Steve’s jacket as his shoulders dropped. He slowly turned, causing her hand to fall, but the lack of contact didn’t last for long as he quickly wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and pulled her in to his chest. She was still rigid with fear, but she allowed herself to close her eyes as he held her to him.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “The fuckers are gone.”

She nodded against his shoulder. As his fingers gripped the back of her shirt, his head gently pressed against hers, she suddenly realized just how intimate the moment was. She gently took a step back, avoiding his eyes, and turned to the kids. 

The group headed back towards the door of the bus, with Steve leading the way. He jumped as the door hissed open, slowly taking the steps down to the ground with his bat held high.

“What happened?” Lucas asked, glancing around.

“I don’t know,” Max replied.

Dustin squinted as he looked around. “Steve scared ‘em off?”

Steve was silent for a moment, before he shook his head. “No. No way.” He turned back to the group. “They’re going somewhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please comment if you're liking the story :)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins!


	7. Chapter Six

As they walked down the railroad tracks in the direction the demogorgons had gone, Y/N’s head was on a swivel. Apparently, the plan was to follow the creatures. She wanted to do anything else – she wanted to run in the opposite direction, to curl under her blankets, to hide from the reality of it all. 

“You’re positive that was Dart?” Lucas called after Dustin.

“Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt.”

“But he was tiny three days ago,” Max said in confusion. Y/N felt for the girl – she was probably the most overwhelmed of them all.

She could almost hear Dustin’s eyes roll as he replied: “Well, he’s molted three times already.”

“Malted?” Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Molted,” Dustin corrected.

“That means he shed his skin to make room for more growth, like hornworms,” Y/N added. The rest of the group looked at her, and she shrugged. “Science class.”

It was silent for a minute before Max spoke up again. “Well, when’s he gonna molt again?”

“It’s gotta be soon,” Dustin said. “When he does, he’ll be fully grown, or close to it.” He paused. “And so will his friends.”

“Yeah,” Steve added, “and he’s gonna eat a lot more than just cats.”

Lucas stopped abruptly, causing the rest of the group to follow suit. “Wait. Cat? Dart ate a cat?”

Dustin began to shake his head vigorously, and Y/N’s eyebrows raised as the boy stuttered. “No. What? _No._ ”

“What are you talking about? He ate Mews.” Steve spoke up, and Y/N’s stomach sank at the thought of the poor cat’s fate.

“Mews, who’s Mews?” Max asked, her eyes flying between the group.

Steve’s brows furrowed as he said pointedly, “It’s Dustin’s cat.”

“Was,” Y/N muttered under her breath.

“Steve!” Dustin exclaimed. “Y/N!”

“I knew it! You kept him!” Lucas was yelling at this point, and as Dustin squared his shoulders, Y/N wondered if someone should step between them. She glanced at Steve, who simply shrugged.

“He missed me!” Dustin tried to reason. “He wanted to come home!”

“Bullshit,” Lucas spat.

“I didn’t know he was a Demogorgon, okay?”

Lucas took a step forward. “Oh, so now you admit it!”

“Guys, who cares?” Max cried, stepping forward. “We have to go!”

“I care!” Lucas shot in Max’s direction, before turning back to Dustin. “You put the party in jeopardy! You broke the rule of law!”

“So did you!”

“ _What?_ ” 

“You told a stranger the truth!” As he spoke, Dustin shone the light in Max’s eyes.

Max flinched before taking another step forward and exclaiming, “A stranger!?”

“You wanted to tell her too!” Lucas yelled back, completely ignoring the girl.

“Yeah, but I didn’t, Lucas, okay? I didn’t! I didn’t tell her! We both broke the rule of law, so we’re even, okay?”

As the boys argued, Y/N jumped as a growl sounded out in the distance behind them. She met Steve’s eyes and knew he had heard the same thing. Wordlessly, she followed him as he took a few steps in the direction of the sound. They both jumped as they heard it again.

“Guys,” Y/N hissed, turning back to where the boys were still arguing. They ignored her, and Steve let out a sigh.

“Guys!” Steve repeated, and the kids finally snapped their attention to the older teens. 

They both motioned for them to follow, turning back to where the noise had come from. They rushed through the brush in single file, Y/N following closely on Steve’s heels. She caught sight of bright lights peeking through the trees, and they pushed through a clearing to find the lab. The screeching continued, and Y/N realized it was coming from the building. She was so focused on the building, frozen in fear, that it wasn’t until she heard voices that she realized they were no longer alone.

“Steve?”

She turned to find Jonathan and Nancy, looking as surprised as the rest of them. As she realized the implications of the two being together, Y/N’s eyes flew to Steve, and she watched as a flicker of unidentifiable emotion passed across his face before he composed himself. She felt a tug on her heartstrings.

“What are you doing here?” Nancy asked.

Steve took a step forward before replying, “What are _you_ doing here?”

“We’re looking for Mike and Will,” Nancy explained.

“They’re not in there, are they?” Dustin spoke what everyone was thinking as he gestured to the lab.

“We’re not sure,” Nancy replied honestly.

They all jumped as another terrifying howl rang out from the building behind them, and it was Dustin who spoke up first. 

“Let’s try to get the gate open.”

*****

After they succeeded in opening the gate, Jonathan and Nancy raced through in his car. Moments later, they came screeching back past them, and Y/N stared after the car, her heart racing. The monsters’ howls were still piercing the air behind them, and she wanted to be anywhere but there. 

Suddenly, Max shouted, and Y/N turned to see another pair of headlights racing towards them. They jumped out of the way as Hopper pulled to a stop, reaching over to open the door and yelling for them to get in. Steve held the door open as the kids piled in, yelling for them to hurry. As Y/N stepped forward, she felt Steve’s free hand warm and firm on her back, and in the midst of the chaos, she felt a sudden sense of calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay - I was on a wonderful trip to NYC for the first time!! I absolutely adored it. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone for commenting and for giving this kudos! Comments really help me want to keep this going. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @airforcecollins! 
> 
> Lots of love!


	8. Chapter Seven

They arrived at the Byers’ house in silence. They filed out of the car and up the front porch, entering to find Will on the couch and sedated. The kids and Hopper headed into the kitchen, while Y/N and Steve joined Nancy, Jonathan and Joyce in the living room. Y/N’s heart sank as she watched Joyce brush the boy’s hair back from his forehead.

It was deafeningly quiet as Jonathan knelt next to his mom, his head falling as he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Will.” 

She watched as Nancy’s hand immediately fell to Jonathan’s shoulder, and Y/N’s eyes flew to Steve. He turned to head into the kitchen, but before he did, she could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes. She could feel her heart grow heavy in her chest.

She followed him in to the kitchen, wishing she could say something to comfort him, but he crossed the kitchen in two quick strides.

“Steve,” Dustin called out, and the boy ignored him, turning down the hall and heading to the bathroom. “Steve!” He called again, furrowing his brows and beginning to walk after him.

“Let him go,” Y/N said softly, stepping in front of the younger boy. Dustin looked up at her, about to protest, but she raised her eyebrows and he let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Y/N looked at the boy incredulously. “What’s _wrong?_ Are you serious, Dustin? The same thing that’s wrong with everyone right now!”

She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, but now the rest of the room was looking at her, save for Hopper, who was on the phone.

“Attitude,” Dustin enunciated each syllable, turning back to where Mike, Max and Lucas were sat at the table.

She held out her hands in a shrugging motion, thinking quickly to draw the attention away from Steve. “I’m having a moment, okay?” She lowered her voice, trying to remain calm. “I think everyone is entitled to a moment when there are literal monsters outside our door right now.”

Dustin stared at her for a moment before Max spoke up quietly.

“That’s fair.”

Before Dustin could say anything else, Mike and Lucas had agreed, and Hopper was hanging up the phone in frustration.

“I am Chief Jim Hopper! Yes, the number that I gave you.” He rolled his eyes. “I will be here.” He hung up the phone with a slam, and paused with his hands on his hips.

“They didn’t believe you, did they?” Dustin asked, breaking the silence.

“We’ll see,” came Hopper’s offhanded response.

“We’ll see?” Mike cried, standing up from the table abruptly. “We can’t just sit here while those things are loose!”

Hopper took a step forward, his eyes on Mike. “We stay here,” he said lowly, “and we wait for help.” He raised his eyebrows in emphasis before turning to leave the room. 

Y/N crossed her arms, leaning against the counter as the kids started to talk quietly amongst themselves. She was lost in her thoughts when she felt someone leaning next to her, and she jumped.

“Sorry,” Steve said quietly.

She shook her head, sending him a quick smile. She searched his face as he looked at the kids, and she was amazed to see he’d wiped away all traces of being upset. 

“Hey,” he said quietly, and she broke her gaze from his face as he turned to her. “I heard you cover for me back there.” She met his eyes in surprise, and found him leaning in close. His brown eyes searched hers for a moment before he said, his voice low, “Thanks.” His gaze was sincere, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

Within seconds, he had pulled away, and she was left blushing as a flush spread through her entire body at the intimacy of it all.

“We can’t let Bob die in vain.”

She was broken out of her moment as Mike spoke, and she turned to find him holding up a game box.

Dustin sighed. “What do you wanna do mike? Hopper’s right, Mike. We can’t stop those demodogs on our own. When it was just Dart, maybe...”

”But there’s an army now,” Lucas finished.

“Precisely.”

It was silent for a moment as Mike mulled something over. They all joined him at the table, and after a moment, the boy spoke again.

“ _His_ army.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“His army!” Mike repeated. “Maybe if we can stop his army, we’ll stop him too!”

Dustin began to beam, nodding at Mike. Within moments, the two had gathered up all of Will’s drawings.

“The shadow monster.”

“It got Will that day in the field,” Mike explained. “The doctor said it was like a virus, it infected him.”

Max nodded, seeming to understand as well. Y/N’s eyebrows came together in confusion as she tried to understand.

“So this virus is connecting him to the tunnels?” Max clarified.

”To the tunnels, to the monsters, to the upside down, everything.”

Steve spoke up for both him and Y/N, raising a hand. “Okay, whoa. Slow down, slow down. So-“

Mike rolled his eyes, cutting Steve off. “The shadow monster is inside everything. And if the vines feel something like pain, so does Will.”

“And so does Dart,” Lucas added.

”It’s like what Mr. Clarke taught us,” Mike said. “The hive mind.”

“The hive mind?”

Y/N nodded, their explanations becoming clearer the more they spoke. “A collective consciousness.”

Dustin nodded. “It’s a super organism.”

”This is the thing that controls everything,” Mike said, pointing at a drawing of a dark creature. Y/N shuddered at the image, though no one else seemed to be phased. “It’s the brain.”

It was silent, and Y/N glanced around quickly, trying to figure it all out. She met Steve’s eyes, who simply shrugged.

“Like the mind flayer,” Dustin broke the silence. Lucas snapped in understanding, and suddenly the younger boys were rushing around in a whirlwind.

“Hopper, Jonathan!” Dustin ran into the living room. They followed behind him with Nancy, as Mike ran back in with a book, and slammed it on the table.

“The mind flayer.” Dustin announced.

“The hell is that?” came Hopper’s reply.

“It’s a monster from an unknown dimension,” Dustin tried to explain. “It’s so ancient that it doesn’t even know its true home. It enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains by using its highly developed psionic powers.”

Hopper scoffed. “None of this is real, it’s a kids game!”

“No,” Dustin shot back, “it’s a manual. And its not for kids.” He rolled his eyes, lifting a finger at the chief. “And unless you know something that we don’t, this is the best metaphor-“

“Analogy,” Lucas muttered.

Dustin shot him a look, raising his hands incredulously. “‘Analogy’? That’s what you’re worried about? Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is.”

“Okay,” Nancy said slowly. “So this mind flayer thing. What does it want?”

“To conquer us, basically. It believes it’s the master race.”

“Like the Germans?” Steve spoke up, and Y/N could tell he was still trying to come to terms with it all.

“Uh, the Nazis?” Dustin asked, and Steve stammered.

“Yeah. Yeah, the Nazis.”

“If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally,” Dustin agreed, and Y/N watched as a brief moment of pride crossed Steve’s face. It was gone in a split second as Dustin continued. “Uh, it views other races like us as inferior to itself.”

“And it wants to spread and take over other dimensions,” Mike added.

“We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it.” Lucas’ face was stoic as he said the words, and Y/N felt a shiver run through her.

“That’s great,” Steve said abruptly. “That’s great! That’s really great.” He turned on his heel, taking a few steps away from the table.

“So if this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything,” Nancy reasoned, “then if we kill it –“

“We kill everything it controls,” Y/N said quietly.

Lucas nodded. “And we win – theoretically.”

“Great,” Hopper retorted. “So how do you kill this thing? Shoot him with fireballs or something?”

Despite the situation Dustin let out a laugh. “No, no fireballs.“ 

Dustin continued to explain, and Y/N tuned him out. She took a few steps backwards, leaning against the wall by the phone. So this was all part of some twisted reality version of a kids game? Her head shot up as a soft voice rang out above the rest of the din.

“I want to kill it.”

Joyce stood in the doorway, her eyes red from all the crying. Her fists were clenched as she straightened her back and spoke again, more firmly this time.

“We have to kill it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you're enjoying this! It really helps me want to continue writing. 
> 
> Hope you all had a great Christmas if you celebrate!
> 
> As always, you can find me on Tumblr @airforcecollins :)


	9. Chapter Eight

_“Will will know how to destroy the monster,”_ Mike had said. _“He’s connected to it.”_

At Mike’s declaration, they’d come up with a plan. Joyce, Jonathan, Mike and Hopper would try to reach Will when he came to, and try to find out what the monster’s plan was. The house had been upheaved in a sudden commotion as everyone rushed to prep both Will and the cabin and, much to Y/N’s chagrin, she was assigned to cabin duty – alongside Steve and Nancy.

The idea was to patch up every part of the cabin so that the mind flayer had no idea where Will was when he woke up. _“He can’t spy if he doesn’t know where he is,”_ Will had said. As the three of them worked to cover up the windows and to soundproof the room, the silence was palpable. Y/N didn’t dare be the first one to speak. She was surprised when Nancy asked Steve quietly for help, and it took all her strength not to watch the interaction.

“Hey.”

Y/N’s ears perked up as Nancy spoke quietly after a brief silence. When Steve didn’t answer the brunette, Y/N finally glanced behind her to where the other two were patching up the window. Steve raised his eyebrows as he looked at Nancy, a piece of tape in his mouth.

“What you did,” Nancy continued, and Y/N turned back away. ”Helping the kids… that was really cool.”

Y/N listened for Steve’s response, but again, all she could hear was tape ripping. Moments later, he answered.

“Yeah. Those little shits are real trouble, you know.”

Y/N could almost hear the relief in Nancy’s voice as she answered.

”Believe me, I know.”

Y/N could feel her heart swelling with fondness as she processed the exchange. She knew Steve was upset at Nancy, but he hadn’t used it as an excuse to be a dick. The more Y/N spent time with Steve, the more she could see bits of his old self. The realization made her heart feel full - and it scared her to death.

“Hey, I’m gonna go grab more tape.”

Y/N was snapped out of her reverie as Nancy spoke. She nodded at the other girl as she left, the door falling shut behind her. Y/N was suddenly nervous at the thought of being left alone with Steve. The feeling reminded her of the year before high school began - when she’d realized that she’d begun to think about Steve as more than a friend, and when being around him had made her flustered.

“Do you need help?”

She turned to meet his eyes, and he looked down at her from his spot on the stepladder. His eyebrows were raised, and she turned back to appraise her work on the other window. There was a spot in the top left corner she hadn’t been able to reach. She nodded in response to his question, and he shuffled across the room.

“You know what this reminds me of?” He asked as he looked up at the covered window.

“What?” She handed him a piece of tape, and he effortlessly applied it to the corner she’d missed.

“When we made that dumb fort in your backyard.”

She felt a tiny smile crawl onto her face at the memory. “Oh, yeah. I remember that.”

“It turned out pretty good,” he commented, his eyes on the wall in front of them.

“The fort or this wall?” She laughed softly, and he turned to her with a grin.

“Both.”

Their eyes met, and the smile slowly faded from his lips. His eyes fell to her cheek, and her heart leapt into her throat as he wordlessly lifted his thumb to her face.

“You never could stay clean during stuff like this,” came his mumbled words. He gently brushed something off her cheek, and she froze. But after a split second, she snapped, and took a step back.

It was too much.

How could he think that this - this _closeness_ \- was fine? After two years, how could he act like nothing had happened? That he _hadn’t_ left her high and dry?

“Steve,” she warned. Her voice came out less firm than she wanted, but she was adamant as she squared her shoulders.

“Y/N-“

His response was interrupted as the door swung open again, and Nancy stepped in. She glanced between the two of them for a moment before speaking.

“The kids are coming to help, too.”

Y/N nodded, taking another step back from Steve, and turned to begin covering the wall with cardboard. As the kids filed in and they all began to work, her mind replayed the moment over and over. She tried to convince herself it was nothing, but she knew it hadn’t been.

*****  
The house was tense and silent as they waited for something to happen outside. Y/N watched out the window as the lights in the cabin flickered viciously, feeling her stomach drop as she heard faint screaming. She jumped a bit when she felt someone join her at the window, and she turned to find Steve, one arm gripping his bat. 

“Think they’re getting anywhere?”

Y/N shrugged. “I hope so,” she returned quietly. 

“Hey, Y/N, listen-“

Steve was interrupted when Hopper burst in the door, followed by Jonathan, Joyce, and Mike.

“What’s going on?”

“I think Will is talking,” Hopper explained as he pulled out an old envelope and a pen, “just not with words.” He began to write out dots and dashes.

“What is that?” Steve asked from beside Y/N, and she turned to him quietly as Hopper continued to work.

“Morse code,” she explained, the situation completely taking her mind off the moment they’d shared earlier. “They used it in the war and stuff, as a secret code.”

“Will’s still in there,” Hopper concluded, setting the pen down after writing a word above the symbols. “He’s talking to us.”

Y/N leaned over Hopper’s shoulder to read what he’d written. 

‘Here’. She felt her chest fill with newfound hope at the word. Will was still with them – he was deep inside of the monster, but he was there.

Over the next half hour, they sat by the walkie talkie, feeding Nancy the letters from Hopper while she wrote them down. The beeping finally stopped, and they all gathered around to read what she’d written.

“Close gate?” Steve read aloud, glancing around and finally meeting Y/N’s eyes. She furrowed her brows and shrugged, about to ask one of the boys for clarification when the phone rang.

“Shit!” Dustin yelled, and in a flash, Nancy had torn the entire device off the wall. It was silent for a moment between them before Max spoke.

“Do you think he heard that?”

“It’s just a phone,” Steve tried to reason. “I mean, that could be anywhere, right?”

Their brief hopes were dashed as Joyce, Hopper, Will and Jonathan barged into the house carrying Will.

“It knows,” Jonathan exclaimed. The faint cries of the demodogs could be heard in the distance as they all gathered in the living room, everyone facing a different direction – Steve with his bat, Hopper with his gun, Lucas with his slingshot.

The screaming grew louder as the monsters approached, and Y/N could feel her heart in her throat. She screamed as the howling came from a different direction this time, and they all screamed again as the window shattered. A corpse came flying through, landing with a thud on the floor, and the shrieking suddenly stopped completely. They all tensed as the lock on the door turned, and the door swung open, revealing Eleven in all her glory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated!


End file.
